Make Your Own Toddler Bird Costume

It was Little Button’s nursery’s summer fair recently. Children were asked to come in animal costumes to fit with this theme. This was the perfect opportunity to try out my first dressing-up costume and take inspiration from a pin I pinned ages ago on Pinterest.

You can find the full pattern on this blog. I’ve adapted the way you attach the costume to suit younger toddlers.

For this project you will need:

3/4 metre of fabric for wing base

Strips of 10 different fabrics for feather rows

80 cm of bias binding

80cm of ribbon

Safety pin

Thread to match base fabric

Cut two pieces of fabric measuring 13 inches across and down for the base of the wings. Cut them to a rounded shape, as shown above.

For the rows of feathers, draw a template on paper. This should be 10 inches wide, with five semicircles, each measuring 2 inches deep, as above.

I used 10 different fabrics. Bright and sparkly fabric worked really well as they caught the sun. I worked out which order I wanted my coloured fabric to go in and started cutting around my template – this is the time-consuming bit!

To sew the rows of feathers onto the wing base, start at the bottom of your base fabric and pin the first row of feathers to the wing. The bottom row wants to be poking out slightly over the edge of the fabric, to give a scalloped effect. Sew in place. Then pin the next row of feathers above the first so there is again a slight overlap and sew in place. Repeat until the wings are full.

With pinking shears, trim the vertical edges of the wings so they are even.

To attach the wings together, use bias binding. Pin the binding along the top of the wings. You want to leave a gap of a few inches between the wings, to allow for healthy flapping! Sew in place and trim any excess binding from the ends.

To attach the wings to your toddler, add some ribbon at the end of each wing to form two wrist ties – alternatively you can use safety pins to attach the wings to a long-sleeved top. I also put a safety pin in the middle of the wings at neck level to stop the wings sagging.

Welcome to Little Button Diaries – the crafting and baking blog from two Brighton-based mums. We are Laura and Tia and we share a love for all things creative. We’re always searching for new things to bake, projects to make and photographs to take. We want to show that having children doesn’t mean you have to stop doing the things you love and that a lot can be achieved even in the space of a short nap!